Going negative backfiring on McPalin

[Bravus]

Quote:

The Newsweek poll shows Obama/Biden with a lead of 11 points (up from 4 points a month ago) and Fox shows Obama/Biden with a 7-point lead (they had McCain winning by 3 a month ago), but in terms of seeing what the right-wing movement in this country has become, how fringe and disconnected from reality they are, the more revealing facts are buried inside the poll numbers.

In the new Newsweek poll, taken over the last two days in the midst of the Ayers attacks, Obama now has a +24 favorability rating (60/36), which has improved from the +20 (57/37) he registered in last month’s poll. In the new poll, McCain’s favorability rating is only +6 (51/45), which has worsened substantially since the +21 he registered last month (57/36). The same has happened to Sarah Palin’s rating, which has dropped from +20 (52/32) in the prior month to a meager +4 now (49/45).

If anything, Americans see McCain — not Obama — as out-of-touch with their values, as 49% believe McCain does not share their values and only 47% believe he does. By stark contrast, Americans overwhelmingly believe Obama shares their values (59-37%) (Newsweek, 12-14). Americans also overwhelmingly believe that Obama would “fit well with people in your local community” (63-31%), while a much smaller margin (54-40%) says that about McCain (Newsweek 12, 14) .

From here

[Neil D]

I think that this is telling about the mood of Americans....

UPDATE II: The McCain campaign is obviously reading the same polls and reaching the same conclusions. Read Ana Marie Cox’s amazing account of how McCain — after stoking these sentiments for more than a week — suddenly and repeatedly tried to restrain and even admonish today’s lynch mob in Minnesota (h/t Andrew Sullivan). But look at what the crowd is saying in their questions to McCain as a result of what the McCain/Palin campaign has done (“I’m scared of Barack Obama… he’s an Arab …”). McCain repeatedly interrupted questions like this to say that Obama is a “decent family man” and to insist that disagreements with Obama be “respectful,” and Cox — an unrepentant, tire-swinging McCain lover if ever there was one — generously says: “I think [McCain] means it.”

Right. He spent the last seven days whipping up the Right in this country into an unprecedentedly ugly frenzy, and just as polls show that he is falling further behind and the tactics are backfiring (and as the former GOP Michigan Governor and long-time McCain supporter condemns McCain for these tactics and William F. Buckley’s Republican son endorses Obama, citing his radically changed behavior and his choice of Palin), McCain abruptly and flamboyantly condemns such sentiments. Whatever else that is, genuine isn’t it.

[Dr. Shane]

Well it worked when Hillary did it so one can hardly blame McCain for going that route. McCain needs to address economic issues and separate himself from both Bush and the Democrats. Obama really isn't addressing the economic issues either. He is just picking up the anti-establishment vote in the wake of this economic crisis. So if McCain could come forth with a convincing plan that set him apart from the rest he might be able to tighten up the race.

[Tom Wetmore]

Let's face facts - The Straight Talk Express has run out of gas and the wheels are coming off the bus. And all that we see is McCain/Palin stranded by the side of the road shaking their fists and cursing at the Obama locomotive, staying on track roaring right on by them...

Obama - Right On! Right for America

McCain - left behind, out of sorts/out of ideas/out of touch - put him out to pasture

[jasd]

Umm, no one understands the "economic issues"; not Bernanke, not Paulson, not Dubya, Rockefeller, Reid, Pelosi, Obama, or McCain. Not the Banking Houses of Europe, not the lending NGOs, not...

Moreover, those that might be expected to have a slight grasp of those issues - lie.

That is why also, hardly anyone, is aware of the Charter City of London, that Great City, the financial center of the world.

The entire globe is imploding and no one understands the complexities.

McCain should advise the American People re that fact and focus on the attributes contrasting himself versus Obama.

It is obvious, from listening to the MSM that John Q Public doesn't understand the difference between an association with a grifter/shyster Keating and an alliance with a domestic terrorist Ayers!

[Neil D]

Quote:

...an alliance with a domestic terrorist Ayers!

Where is the evidence that Obama is in "an alliance with a domestic terrorist Ayers!"?

I would like to see this video....Show it....please.

[jasd]

>>I would like to see this video<<

Videos and cartoons, eh? Howabout, just the printed word? no fonting, no colorization, no pixelated talking balloons, zip, zero, nada - just the printed word.

“In 1969 the Weather Underground issued a formal declaration of war on AMERIKKKA.” Ayers was a co-founder of the Weather Underground.

“An American red army.” --Ayers

“Guilty as hell. Free as a bird. America is a great country,” --Ayers, David Horowitz interview, 1981

“I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” --Ayers, New York Times, 9.11.2001

“Kill all the rich people. Break up their cars and apartments. Bring the revolution home. Kill your parents.” --Ayers

There is much, much more.

For the potential President of the USofA, a touted Constitutional lawyer, magna cum laude, Harvard graduate and 'law professor' - to plead innocence to a knowledge of who Ayers was or represented - is preposterous!

"Just a Yo'Dude from the neighbourhood." tchah.

I'm dumb - but for your candidate to demur about Ayers testifies to his being dumber than mud!

What kind of material is that for POTUS? to actually sit in the same office as did our great Presidents - staggers the imagination?

Well, what can one expect, given the following quote?

“Some people are going to have to give up their piece of pie so others can have more.” --guess who said that

If Obama can find his way clear to give Acorn $800,000 of his campaign contributions, let him simply give a few dollar$ to the Natl Treasury and rent the Lincoln bedroom for the night, instead.

___________________________________

Hitler was a community organizer...

c'mon, it's all in fun. (actually, if Obama does become President, I suppose I can live with that - given, that I don't think the next years will be a walk in the park for any of us - no matter who becomes President)

[jasd]

>>...the Obama locomotive, staying on track roaring right on by them...<<

just a chuggin' along, going both sideways and South. Yep, headin' South! and taking the choir with them.

[jasd]

Now, what is really, really scary is - given Obama's alliance with a former and unrepentant domestic terrorist (who was recently photoged trampling on our flag)-

Obama would not qualify for a low-level govt job which required a security clearance; yet, he may

become POTUS!

Frighteningly scary! SCARY!

Yikes! --Pogo

[Neil D]

If Obama can find his way clear to give Acorn $800,000 of his campaign contributions, let him simply give a few dollar$ to the Natl Treasury and rent the Lincoln bedroom for the night, instead.

Can't show the video, eh? Can't make the accusation stick, eh? Maybe, just maybe, it doesn't exist. If that is the case, you believe a lie...If you believe a lie, you are not being true to yourself.

Shape up, Jasd. Quit believing the lie.

Maybe we need to show this again for you Jasd.

[Neil D]

From that "Liberal rag" the Christian Science Monitor

When you get there, don't look at the heading....

At this late stage in the election, Republican nominee for President John McCain would undoubtedly prefer not to promote rival Barack Obama at one of his own campaign rallies.

That’s what he had to do yesterday. More than once.

State of the campaign

There’s plenty of criticism that McCain brought this on himself because of his campaign’s tenor over the last two weeks. Then there are others who believe that questions about Obama’s past dealings with questionable characters are legitimate questions that need to be asked.

Still yet others believe that this is the sole remaining card McCain has. The backdrop of an imploding economy is at every campaign stop — Republican or Democrat. Unfortunately, for McCain, the GOP is getting the lion’s share of the blame. So a strategy of questioning who Barack Obama is may be all he’s got left.

But if going down that road encourages some supporters to yell out “terrorist” or “off with his head” when Obama’s name is mentioned, McCain’s got another problem — attracting instead of repelling those moderate undecideds.

“Arab”

Yesterday, a woman at a rally in Minnesota announced she didn’t trust Obama because “he’s an Arab.”

“No, ma’am, no ma’am,” McCain countered. “He’s a decent, family man, a citizen I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign is all about.”

Scared

Another supporter said he and his wife were “scared” of raising their child under Obama presidency.

“I want to be president of the United States and I obviously I do not want Senator Obama to be,” McCain said. “But I have to tell you, I have to tell you, he is a decent person. And a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States.”

YouTube

Obama supporters are more than happy to help portray McCain followers as extreme.

Take Ohio blogger Tim Russo. He went to a Sarah Palin rally on Wednesday, filmed the footage and came away with:

“I’ve been doing blog video for a while, and presidential rallies a lot longer. And this is the most strange, ignorant, uninformed, angry, up-to-no-good, and gullible group of people I’ve ever seen at a political rally.”

Sure, if you look into his background you’ll see that he’s decisively partisan. Even the New York Times said his “questioning is clearly aimed at putting his subjects on the defensive.” He knew what he was going after when he went there. He’s no friend of the McCain-Palin ticket.

Regardless, the YouTube video was the third-most watched on the video sharing website Friday. At the time of this writing it had been viewed nearly 1 million times. As the Times mentions, viewership appears to break down along partisan lines as well. (This would be difficult to calculate, however. Perhaps, a more accurate way of putting it would be that the comments seem to break down down along partisan lines.)

A videographer could do the same thing at an Obama-Biden rally. If you come in with an agenda, you can create what you want to create.

But when your candidate is leading, you don’t go into a rally upset. You’re feeling pretty good. So it might be tougher to find the outliers.

Tough week

It wasn’t just yesterday. Earlier this week, on two separate occasions, introductory speakers decided that by adding Barack Obama’s middle name (Hussein) to their respective remarks, they would help the campaign out. This, despite the fact that John McCain as early as February denounced the tactic, and has told supporters to knock it off.

So, instead of the McCain message getting out, the McCain “we don’t condone these remarks” message got out. The story reported was “Guess what the McCain people said today?”

Anger

So despite the call from many GOP strategists that McCain needs to get angry and he needs to tap in to the anger of the American people, it is a strategy that is full of risks.

He’s got to keep fighting but can’t afford more rallies that produce incendiary sound bites. He said it all yesterday.

“We want to fight and I will fight,” he said at the rally. “But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I will respect him.”

McCain supporters have to follow suit. The first test will come today at a rally in Davenport, Iowa

[Neil D]

It's ok to look at the heading...

October 11, 2008

Barack Obama is thanking John McCain today for urging his supporters to cool it, “be respectful,” and halt the racially loaded, hate-filled slurs aimed at the Democratic ticket.

Obama is barnstorming Philly, taking note of McCain’s gesture yesterday that was spurred on in part by a woman who said she couldn’t trust Obama because, “He’s an Arab.”

“No mam, he’s not,” McCain said while campaigning in Minnesota. “He’s a decent family man — citizen — that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.”

Metaphorically speaking, John McCain must have received the memo - actually, maybe it was really three memos.

There was the one that should have reminded him that stoking a fire-breathing lynch-mob mentality at his and sidekick Sarah Palin’s rallies is conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman. If not checked, someone could get hurt, and no matter what Palin may think, this is the ultimate exercise in democracy, not a goon-dominated minor league hockey game.

A second might have stated that despite his campaign being home to disciples of ex-Bush political guru Karl Rove and his politics of personal destruction, McCain is better than the current occupant of the White House. Why emulate someone who is increasingly competing to join the list of colossal failures who have served as President?

Then there was the third memorandum that would have shown the tactic of “going nuclear” amid the collapse of the global economy isn’t working and is very likely costing him votes, according to internal and public polls.

Whatever the case, the Secret Service, among others, must be relieved that McCain is trying to put a lid on the nastiness before it gets out of control.

“I want to acknowledge that Sen. McCain tried to tone down the rhetoric yesterday, and I appreciated his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - Sen. McCain has served this country with honor, and he deserves our thanks for that,” Obama said in a stump speech distributed ahead of his four-stop campaign swing here in the City of Brotherly Love.

[carolaa]

I gotta say, I feel kind of bad for McCain having to use his valuable campaigning time to defend the other candidate. He's gotten himself into a real pickle.

[Dr. Shane]

He is a man of integrity. If he loses because of defending Obama I don't think he will have a problem sleeping.

[jasd]

>>Can't make the accusation stick, eh?<<

I suppose, not to the obtuse.

>>Maybe, just maybe, it doesn't exist. If that is the case, you believe a lie...If you believe a lie, you are not being true to yourself.<<

When a thing is prima facie, it is just that – no more, no less.

>>Maybe we need to show this again for you Jasd.<<

Oh. Oh my, a cartoon. Should I have known that the most profound truths are actually explicated by cartoons which self-parse and self-serve? Mebbe, at least.

Quote:

“I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” --Ayers, New York Times, 9.11.2001

Yeah, lucky for America he didn't possess anthrax!

Remember, Ayers was co-founder of the Weather Underground...:

Following is clipped as found from any number of legitimate sources (sorry, no cartoon renditions available).

7 October 1969 - Bombing of Haymarket Police Statue in Chicago, apparently as a “kickoff” for the “Days of Rage” riots in the city October 8-11, 1969. The Weathermen later claimed credit for the bombing in their book, “Prairie Fire.”

8-11 October 1969 - The “Days of Rage” riots occur in Chicago in which 287 Weatherman members from throughout the country were arrested and a large amount of property damage was done.

6 December 1969 - Bombing of several Chicago Police cars parked in a precinct parking lot at 3600 North Halsted Street, Chicago. The WUO stated in their book “Prairie Fire” that they had did the explosion.

27-31 December 1969 - Weathermen hold a “War Council” meeting in Flint, MI, where they finalize their plans to submerge into an underground status from which they plan to commit strategic acts of sabotage against the government. Thereafter they are called the “Weather Underground Organization” (WUO).

13 February 1970 - Bombing of several police vehicles of the Berkeley, California, Police Department .

16 February 1970 - Bombing of Golden Gate Park branch of the San Francisco Police Department, killing one officer and injuring a number of other policemen.

6 March 1970 - Bombing in the 13th Police District of the Detroit, Michigan. 34 sticks of dynamite are discovered. During February and early March, 1970, members of the WUO, led by Bill Ayers, are reported to be in Detroit, during that period, for the purpose of bombing a police facility.

6 March 1970 - “bomb factory” located in New York’s Greenwich Village accidentally explodes. WUO members die . The bomb was intended to be planted at a non-commissioned officer’s dance at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The bomb was packed with nails TO INFILICT MAXIMUM CASUALTIES UPON DETONATION.

30 March 1970 - Chicago Police discover a WUO “bomb factory” on Chicago’s north side. A subsequent discovery of a WUO “weapons cache” in a south side Chicago apartment several days later ends WUO activity in the city.

10 May 1970 - Bombing of The National Guard Association building in Washington, D.C..

21 May 1970 - The WUO under Bernardine Dohrn’s (Ayers’ current wife) name releases its “Declaration of a State of War” communique.

6 June 1970 - The WUO sends a letter claiming credit for bombing of the San Francisco Hall of Justice; however, no explosion actually took place. Months later, workmen in this building located an unexploded device which had apparently been dormant for some time.

9 June 1970 - Bombing of The New York City Police Headquarters.

27 July 1970 - Bombing of The Presidio army base in San Francisco. [NYT, 7/27/70]

12 September 1970 - The WUO helps Dr. Timothy Leary, break out and escape from the California Men’s Colony prison.

8 October 1970 - Bombing of Marin County courthouse. [NYT, 8/10/70]

10 October 1970 - Bombing of Queens traffic-court building . [NYT, 10/10/70, p. 12]

14 October 1970 - Bombing of The Harvard Center for International Affairs [NYT, 10/14/70, p. 30]

1 March 1971 - Bombing of The United States Capitol . “ [NYT, 3/2/71]

April, 1971 - abandoned WUO “bomb factory” discovered in San Francisco, California.

29 August, 1971 - Bombing of the Office of California Prisons . [LAT, 8/29/71]

17 September 1971 - Bombing of The New York Department of Corrections in Albany, NY [NYT, 9/18/71]

15 October 1971 - Bombing of William Bundy’s office in the MIT research center. [NYT, 10/16/71]

19 May 1972 - Bombing of The Pentagon . [NYT, 5/19/72]

18 May 1973 - Bombing of the 103rd Police Precinct in New York

28 September 1973 - Bombing of ITT headquarters in New York and Rome, Italy . [NYT, 9/28/73]

6 March 1974 - Bombing of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare offices in San Francisco

31 May 1974 - Bombing of The Office of the California Attorney General.

17 June 1974 - Bombing of Gulf Oil’s Pittsburgh headquarters .

11 September 1974 - Bombing of Anaconda Corporation (part of the Rockefeller Corporation).

29 January 1975 - Bombing of the State Department in (AP. “State Department Rattled by Blast,” The Daily Times-News, January 29 1975, p.1)

16 June 1975 - Bombing of Banco de Ponce (a Puerto Rican bank) in New York .

September, 1975 - Bombing of the Kennecott Corporation .

October 20, 1981 - Brinks robbery in which several members of the Weather Underground stole over $1 million from a Brinks armored car near Nyack, New York. The robbers murdered 2 police officers and 1 Brinks guard. Several others were wounded.

1981 - “Guilty as hell. Free as a bird. America is a great country,” Ayers said when interviewed by David Horowitz.

September 11, 2001 - “I don’t regret setting bombs. I feel we didn’t do enough.” Ayers is quoted as saying in a New York Times article.

I guess the police officers and the Brinks guard who were murdered – failed to heed the Weathermen’s phoned warning, eh? Well then, the fact that they died is their own fault. Yeah. Say, I’ve got a piece of my property that has a River Running Through It during the rainy season – you’d love it – and I’d let you have real cheap... think about it. Mebbe, you’d rather have the water rights to that rainy season river, instead... mebbe, the Covered Bridge down the road?

[jasd]

>>...on two separate occasions, introductory speakers decided that by adding Barack Obama’s middle name (Hussein) to their respective remarks, they would help the campaign out.<<

[smilin’]And wasn’t it just the other day that MSM and other weenies were complaining that McCain did not use Obama’s name; instead, invoking "that one"? So, some locals used Obama’s entire name and whoa! the ubiquitous whine emerges...

>>So, instead of the McCain message getting out, the McCain “we don’t condone these remarks” message got out. The story reported was “Guess what the McCain people said today?”<<

Ahh gee, ain it so that whom the gods would destroy – they first make barmy? Like, ain these Townhall-type stopovers like, open? Y’know, open to Democrats, Independents, Republicans, Moderates, Nut-cases, and even Anarchists... why, they’re even open to Democratic Agents Provocateur. Hmm, howabout that?

Given that, one can be assured that McCain will be plagued here-on-out with these sorts.

>>...rallies that produce incendiary sound bites.<<

Well, segueing upon “incendiary”...

Who’da thunk’t!? Here it is again, racial politics extruding from the Obamaites – Rep John Lewis of Georgia, decidedly partisan Democrat – likening McCain/Palin to Geo Wallace, Democrat, Racial Segregationist, extraordinaire.

So, what else is new? Only that it becomes increasingly evident that the Democrats don’t want anything known of Obama’s past. So, what else is new?

What a stretch, eh? ...attributing Democratic politics to Republicans – eeyew, enough even tah git me’ums angery!

[Neil D]

Quote:

I guess the police officers and the Brinks guard who were murdered – failed to heed the Weathermen’s phoned warning, eh? Well then, the fact that they died is their own fault. Yeah. Say, I’ve got a piece of my property that has a River Running Through It during the rainy season – you’d love it – and I’d let you have real cheap... think about it. Mebbe, you’d rather have the water rights to that rainy season river, instead... mebbe, the Covered Bridge down the road?

And what does that have to do with Obama? He was 8 years old at that time....

May the charge stick, Jasd! Give us some evidence that Obama was really "pallin' around" with this known former terrorist who is now a very respected member of the educational community.....

Otherwise, take your arguement somewhere where you can sell that piece of bogus property.

[jasd]

>>And what does that have to do with Obama? He was 8 years old at that time....<<

THAT'S the excuse!? THAT is a non sequitur. Though Obama may have been an 8-year old at the time of Ayer’s terrorism – well, goodfellow, Obama ain no 8-year old, nomore. However, the way things are shaking out re his palling around with unreformed terrorists – one of whom, smirkingly, desecrated the American flag by trampling upon it for an accompanying photo-op to a 2001 Chicago magazine article titled “No Regrets” – well, for all that, Obama may as well be 8-years old.

>>May the charge stick, Jasd! Give us some evidence that Obama was really "pallin' around" with this known former terrorist...<<

I followed, as much as my agida allowed, your and John317’s back and forth, mindful of the Madhatter’s words, “Words mean whatever I want them to mean.”

Thanks, but no thanks – stick to your own brand of perspicacity. Obama and Ayers were just Yo’Dudes in the ‘hood. “Yo! Willi-A’, how you?” “Yo! B’bama, whazzup?”

Yeah, just a Chicago murder of lefter crows.

>>...who is now a very respected member of the educational community.....<<

What a miserable indictment of the American Academe... Adolf Eichmann was an innocuous Argentinian rabbit farmer! What’s THAT?

>>Otherwise, take your arguement somewhere where you can sell that piece of bogus property.<<

Not the property? okay, so’s how about the water rights to my rainy weather river? I’ll let you have it real cheap.